Tootfinder

Ukraine, France move toward joint arms production with new agreement: https://benborges.xyz/2026/02/09/ukraine-france-move-toward-joint.html

Super Bowl 60 predictions: Why our staff leans toward a Seahawks victory https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7027725/2026/02/08/super-bowl-60-staff-predictions-seahawks-patriots-picks/

European countries are moving toward social media bans for children, even as doubts persist over implementation and the risk of a new battle with US tech groups (Financial Times)
https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/56ccbe4c-7b6d-44…

Ice agent “logic”:
“They’re coming right at us!!! We better get our murder on!!!”
She wasn’t heading toward him, her wheels were turned away.
#USpol

Yet another #SuperbOwl. September 2023

Here's a good chunk of the assigned books for my grad seminar on Canadian history - a few golden oldies, but mostly newer stuff. I've got a good group and am looking forward to a fine term.
#histodons

History Bends Toward Distortion When Accountability is Denied (Harry Dunn/Meidas )
https://www.meidasplus.com/p/history-bends-toward-distortion-when
http://www.memeorandum.com/260106/p69#a260106p69

NY Mayor Zohran Mamdani invited dozens of "new media" figures to City Hall for a tour and private news conference while excluding legacy media outlets like NY1 (Michael M. Grynbaum/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/busines

Mamdani Hosts Influencer Summit, Sidestepping Traditional Media
A friendly summit at New York’s City Hall with digital content creators and social media stars symbolized the new mayor’s attitude toward the changing news media.

Good evening! Just a daily mountain photo for you ;-) I took it on my hike last weekend.
At this point I thought that it might have been beneficial if I would also have brought gaiters, then I would have walked a bit more into the snow.
But it was still a great day.
the #video of the hike is here:

RE: https://norden.social/@ferdinand_soethe/115691798334380140
"The Republican Party has been building toward this for 50 years. The Powell Memo.¹⁶ The Heritage Foundation. The Federalist Society. Gingrich burning down congressional norms. The …

#Blakes7 Series C, Episode 11 - Moloch
CHESIL: I don't know what you mean.
DORAN: Oh, yes; yes, you do, lady; you know what I'm on about. [gesturing at the monitoring screens] These eyes are everywhere, right?
CHESIL: What do you want?
…

This week’s post jumps from Super Bowl ticket prices to Oklahoma’s new steps toward transparency on asset forfeiture—and then into a long-running fight over casket sales and licensing. Sports, policy, and skepticism included. 🏈⚖️
https://www.bobmuellerwriter.com/foo…

Football Dreams, Government Overreach, and Small Businesses Pushing Back – Bob Mueller
Super Bowl prices, Oklahoma reforms, and a look at why asset forfeiture transparency and licensing laws matter to regular people.

Texas gives DOJ list of its 18 million registered voters https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/09/texas-voter-roll-trump-administration-justice-department-democrats-dnc/

Texas hands over complete list of registered voters to Trump administration
The Justice Department has asked states for their voter rolls with an eye toward purging ineligible voters. Democrats say sharing the data could violate federal election law.

How Pathway, a startup developing an alternative to the transformer, aims to use its Dragon Hatchling architecture to create a new class of adaptive AI systems (Steven Rosenbush/Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-ai…

A decade of transformation: Regeneration International now connects 700 organizations worldwide, driving the shift to regenerative agriculture. Their 5th People's Food Summit reached 10 million people, while new initiatives expand across Africa and Latin America. Now launching a certification standard and training course to help farmers transition away from harmful chemicals toward practices that heal soils and communities.

Which Direction the Raiders Must Lean in the 2026 Draft https://www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi/which-direction-raiders-must-lean-in-the-2026-draft

Masterful Gambit: Musk Attempts to Monetize Grok's Wave of Sexual Abuse Imagery https://www.404media.co/x-premium-grok-paywall-images-ai-generator/

last night around 10 PM the line to get into necto (local disco) went all the way down the block and around the corner. the temperature was in the teens (like, ten below celsius), headed toward single digits. i saw a lot of bare legs and bare shoulders in that line. brrrr!!!!

Urban sprawl and illegal mining reshape a fragile Amazon frontier https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/illegal-mining-and-urban-sprawl-reshape-a-fragile-amazon-frontier/

Urban sprawl and illegal mining reshape a fragile Amazon frontier
MITÚ, Colombia — Beneath the rising sun, people from nearby Indigenous communities navigate across the Vaupés River in traditional wooden canoes toward Mitú, a rapidly expanding town in the Colombian Amazon. The canoes are packed with fish, plucked from the river’s tea-colored waters hours before, and produce, harvested from their traditional gardens. To reach the […]

Cowboys firing Matt Eberflus is just first step toward improving the defense https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/dallas-cowboys/news/cowboys-firing-matt-eberflus-just-first-step-improving-defense/0b1961…

In what Arizona’s attorney general slammed as an
“unacceptable and outrageous” act of “unchecked aggression,”
a federal immigration officer fired pepper spray toward recently sworn-in Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva
during a Friday raid on a Tucson restaurant.
Grijalva (D-Ariz.) wrote on social media that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers
“just conducted a raid by Taco Giro in Tucson
— a small mom-and-pop restaurant that has served our c…

ICE Goons Pepper Spray Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva During Tucson Raid | Common Dreams
"If federal agents are brazen enough to fire pellets directly at a member of Congress, imagine how they behave when encountering defenseless members of our community," Grijalva said.

Dolphins expected to move on from QB Tua Tagovailoa in 2026 via trade or release https://www.nfl.com/news/dolphins-expected-to-move-on-from-qb-tua-tagovailoa-in-2026-via-trade-or-release

❗️TRUMP leans toward THIS PEACEFUL PLAN for Ukraine: conditions #shorts: https://benborges.xyz/2026/01/02/trump-leans-toward-this-peaceful.html

Nuclear spin quenching of the $^2S_{1/2}\rightarrow {^2}F_{7/2} $ electric octupole transition in $^{173}$Yb$^ $
Jialiang Yu, Anand Prakash, Clara Zyskind, Ikbal A. Biswas, Rattakorn Kaewuam, Piyaphat Phoonthong, Tanja E. Mehlst\"aubler
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.05872 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2512.05872 https://arxiv.org/html/2512.05872
arXiv:2512.05872v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: We report the coherent excitation of the highly forbidden $^2S_{1/2} \rightarrow {^2}F_{7/2}$ clock transition in the odd isotope $^{173}\mathrm{Yb}^ $ with nuclear spin $I = 5/2$, and reveal the hyperfine-state-dependent, nuclear spin induced quenching of this transition. The inferred lifetime of the $F_e = 4$ hyperfine state is one order of magnitude shorter than the unperturbed ${^2}F_{7/2}$ clock state of $^{171}\mathrm{Yb}^ $. This reduced lifetime lowers the required optical power for coherent excitation of the clock transition, thereby reducing the AC Stark shift caused by the clock laser. Using a 3-ion Coulomb crystal, we experimentally demonstrate an approximately 20-fold suppression of the AC Stark shift, a critical improvement for the scalability of future multi-ion $\mathrm{Yb}^ $ clocks. Furthermore, we report the $|^2S_{1/2},F_g=3\rangle~\rightarrow~|^2F_{7/2},F_e=6\rangle$ unquenched reference transition frequency as $642.11917656354(43)$ THz, along with the measured hyperfine splitting and calculated quadratic Zeeman sensitivities of the ${^2}F_{7/2}$ clock state. Our results pave the way toward multi-ion optical clocks and quantum computers based on $^{173}\mathrm{Yb}^ $.
toXiv_bot_toot

We need a much stronger voice than Mark Carney's to fight for Canada and Canadians.
Carney and others are quietly appeasing and cajoling the separatists as if they will change their mind. That's not how this works!
Stop talking down to the gutter... we need to solidify our solidarity with the 92% of Albertans who do not "definitely want to leave”!
"57 per cent said they would definitely vote to stay, while eight per cent say they would lean toward voting to stay”
"Meanwhile, eight per cent of those in favour of separation would definitely vote to leave, while 21 per cent would lean toward vote to leave.”
It's time to call this "separatism" out for what it is... a subversive hostile takeover by the United States of America and that country's President. He is the Putin of the Americas and he and anyone who deals in secret with him to weaken our country, needs to be treated as such.

#CanPoli #Canada #CdnPoli #Ukraine #Russia #RussiaUkraineWar
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-separation-angus-reid-poll-9.7080294?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

On March 9th I’m helping launch AI Foundations for Educators, a 5-week online course that goes beyond workshop-level knowledge to guide teachers and school staff in developing a personalized framework for adapting classrooms to AI.
It’s a pilot module for a planned online certificate on generative AI; would count as credit toward that graduate credential. Open to anyone with a BA.

House takes step toward extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, overpowering GOP leadership (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/affordable-care-act-subsidies-aca-84607bbaee9bc782d0b685eadba75303
http://www.memeorandum.com/260107/p164#a260107p164

Reflecting on the remarkable journeys seniors take, I am inspired by their resilience and zest for life. 🌟 Every step toward financial independence and well-being showcases their enduring spirit. What small steps will you commit to today for a prosperous future? I'm eager to hear your thoughts! #Seniors #FinancialWellbeing #CommunitySupport

A look at Kalshi and Polymarket's lucrative shift toward sports, as high-profile real-world bets raise questions about access, integrity, and US CFTC regulation (Bloomberg)

We’re proud to support Polar Connect Step 2 (24-EU-DIG-PC2) as an Associated Partner, working alongside the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, NORDUnet, GlobalConnect, CSC, and the Swedish Research Council (the project coordinator).
With the Grant Agreement now signed, PC2 takes a major step toward realising Polar Connect – a resilient Arctic submarine cable system linking Europe, North America, and East Asia for the benefit of the global internet.
🔗 Read more:

Not a huge fan of David “LNG” Eby but I’m with him on this one. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/eby-alberta-separatist-group-treason-9.7071107?cmp=rss

B.C. premier doubles down on calling Alberta separatist movement seeking U.S. support 'treason' | CBC News
Calgary-based data analyst John Santos warns that that kind of language could push people toward separatism.

Trump regime renames National Renewable Energy Laboratory to National Laboratory of the Rockies...
https://www.gravityisgone.com/a-collective-wtf-national-renewable-energy-laboratory-gets-a-trumpian-name-change/

'A Collective WTF': National Renewable Energy Laboratory Gets a Trumpian Name Change
NREL employees, many of whom joined the lab specifically to work toward its clean energy mission, are not happy about the oil-soaked leadership's moves.

This week the Argentine Navy finally retired the S-2 Turbo Tracker after 63 years of service. I was able to see one of it's final flights last month. A beautiful aircraft made for another era, it was time to finally get some rest.
https://commons.gallery/@bugwarp/jornada-bapi

Vic Fangio has considered retirement but situation is currently leaning toward his return as Eagles DC https://www.nfl.com/news/vic-fangio-has-considered-retirement-but-situation-is-currently-leaning-toward-his-return-…

Electric cargo ships crossing oceans could be just 3 years away. CATL's marine division has already supplied batteries for 900 vessels and is making big strides with sodium-ion tech.
Falling battery prices are finally making long-range electric shipping economically viable—a huge step toward zero-carbon ocean freight.

CATL Expects Oceanic Electric Ships in 3 Years - CleanTechnica
Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe. News in batteries and electrification has been coming fast and furious lately. Recently, Su Yi, the head of CATL’s marine division, stated, “CATL’s marine business already covers inland rivers, lakes, and coastal waters, and is now advancing toward ocean-going applications.” ... [continued]

An interview with Google DeepMind CTO Koray Kavukcuoglu on his new role as Google's chief AI architect, Gemini 3, progress toward the goal of AGI, and more (Melissa Heikkilä/Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/3b477836-8a87-4ce3-bea1-719f28952a9a
<…

US Electric Grid Heading Toward 'Crisis' Thanks to AI Data Centers | Common Dreams
https://www.commondreams.org/news/data-centers-electric-grid

Mr. Nadella, don’t worry about the “real world impact” of what you call “AI,” i.e., LLM-driven chatbots. Already today, lazy students and fraudulent researchers “get value out of AI in the real world.”
But I get it, the big question is: how can Microsoft profit from cheating and fraud in education and research?
https://

Overuse is pushing the world toward ‘water bankruptcy’ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/01/overuse-is-pushing-the-world-toward-water-bankruptcy/

Overuse is pushing the world toward ‘water bankruptcy’
Overuse and climate change are driving global “water bankruptcy,” with aquifers declining, glaciers disappearing and billions facing water scarcity, a UN report finds.

🐿️ Midwest Farms Are Going Nuts
#agriculture

Midwest Farms Are Going Nuts
A shift toward growing chestnuts, pecans and walnuts is reviving soil once exhausted by dreary corn and soy.

A new poll by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research
examines California voters’ attitudes toward due process for immigrants with criminal convictions
The survey also examined support for how tax dollars are spent and Californians’ views on the state’s sanctuary policies.
It found bipartisan support for ensuring that immigrants facing deportation receive due process, including ones with criminal records.
“This survey shows that there’s clear concern about the current admini…

Series A, Episode 08 - Duel
SINOFAR: Giroc, Giroc, I need you. You must come here to me now.
GIROC: All right, all right, I'm coming. [Giroc comes in. She is an elderly woman who clutches a six-foot staff of office, carved on it is a humanoid figure climbing toward the ball-shaped tip.] Have a little patience. We of all people should have learnt patience. I'm tired, I deserve some peace.

Critical minerals dropped from final text at COP30
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/critical-minerals-dropped-from-final-text-at-cop30/

Critical minerals dropped from final text at COP30
Delegates at last month’s U.N. climate change summit, or COP30, adopted a new mechanism to coordinate action on a just energy transition worldwide toward a low-carbon economy, away from fossil fuels. However, a proposal at the conference in Brazil to include language on critical minerals within the mechanism’s scope was scrapped at the last minute […]

Raiders' Geno Smith apologizes for obscene gesture toward fans https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nfl/raiders-geno-smith-apologizes-for-obscene-gesture-toward-fans

Senate barrels toward failure on health care (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/01/senate-barrels-toward-failure-on-health-care-00672273
http://www.memeorandum.com/251201/p130#a251201p130

"Send It Away, or Put It On Display? How librarians and research computing staff can collaborate across language barriers"
#RDM

They straight up gonna have to put a protection detail on Phil's ass

#silentSunday
Migrating geese
(Embedded dad joke in alt text)

Ukrainian military: Russia pushes toward Kharkiv to carve out a buffer zone: https://benborges.xyz/2026/01/26/ukrainian-military-russia-pushes-toward.html

:linux: :linux: :linux: :linux: :linux: :linux: :linux:
I’ve got a feeling 2026 is finally gonna be the year of the Linux desktop, so here’s my list of recommendations, ranked from 1 being my favorite recommendation to 10 still worth checking out.
1. https://linuxmint.com
2.

the flip side of this is that of course you will get groupthink because Filipinos only recommend Filipinos etc etc :-) where Filipinos could be any group LOL
https://mastodon.cloud/@jasongorman/115631797677448363

Communities have changed how resistance is conducted
— away from the myth of the solitary activist hero
and toward
shared capacity.
As Grace Lee Boggs taught us,
“Movements are born of critical connections rather than critical mass.”
Political exhaustion took on new meaning.
It was no longer treated as a personal struggle, but as shared terrain
— produced by oppressive systems and requiring collective response.
The question shifted from…

Anti-ICE Organizing Is Creating Counter-Institutions Based on Care
Rapid-response networks and mutual aid are not charity. They’re shared infrastructure for collective care and survival.

Hell yes. We need more of Otto Lee and less of the quisling sheriff.
https://sanjosespotlight.com/will-santa-clara-county-arrest-ice-agents-at-super-bowl/

Will Santa Clara County arrest ICE agents at Super Bowl? - San José Spotlight
As the clock ticks toward the Super Bowl, one Santa Clara County leader’s vow to arrest ICE agents may force officials across the valley to confront their own rhetoric — pitting local cops against federal ones.

How Close Can a PWA Get to a Native App? Closer Than You Think
I set out to see how far the web can go toward feeling native. Here’s what I found while building a PWA demo that might just make a full rewrite unnecessary.
📲 https://koolcodez.com/blog/how-close-can-a-…

How Close Can a PWA Get to a Native App? Closer Than You Think - Kool Codez
I set out to see how far the web can go toward feeling native. Here’s what I found while building a PWA demo that might just make a full rewrite unnecessary.

Renewed work toward a visual prosthesis (brain implant) in the #LGN instead of visual cortex https://nin.nl/news/first-ever-recording-of-a-crucial-visual-structure-in-the…

Scoop: Mary Peltola moves toward Alaska Senate campaign (Hans Nichols/Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/06/mary-peltola-alaska-senate
http://www.memeorandum.com/260106/p89#a260106p89

Smith apologizes for making obscene gesture toward fans Sunday https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/raiders/smith-apologizes-for-making-obscene-gesture-toward-fans-sunday-3587504/

＂A thoughtful walk through … FreeBSD 15.0—its design, discipline, and why composable systems still matter.
FreeBSD 15.0 quietly advances security, adapts to change with finesse, and reflects solid, intentional engineering. It powers some of the most flexible firewalls in use today and enables forward-looking filesystem design. It does not claim perfection, yet it consistently moves toward it. FreeBSD does not chase trends, influencers, or corporate fashion cycles. It focuses on doing …

💬Readers added context they thought people might want to know…
“Europe is hurtling toward digital vassalage. Under Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, EU laws to tackle tech giants have been either not applied or delayed, for fear of offending Donald Trump. Now leaked documents reveal that the European Commission plans to gut a central part of Europe’s digital rulebook. This will hurt Europe’s innovators and hand the future of Europe’s tech sovereignty to US firms.…

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." [Luke 2:13-14]
#Antichrist

US bombs target ISIL in Nigeria: What’s really going on?
Trump says strikes are related to ‘Christian genocide’ but attacks on Christian farmers happened in different area.

Dripping icicles
Reach toward the frozen earth
Seeking connection.
#dailyhaikuprompt - icicles
#haiku
#poem

Cowboys ‘Trending’ Toward Key Decision at Quarterback https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/trending-toward-key-decision-quarterback/

#FotoVorschlag 'mein bestes Foto 2025' 'my best Foto 2025'
I was curious which photo might show up if I sort my Catalogue by my rating. Yet there are still some unprocessed folders.
But .. regarding my rating, I took my best photo close to the end of the year! Due to many reasons I didn't take as many photos this year as usual. But this one really resonate…

A survey by the News Literacy Project of US 13- to 18-year-olds shows 84% use negative words including "boring", "fake", or "biased" to describe news media (David Bauder/Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/news-media-

Survey shows how much teenagers dislike the news media
You don't have to tell Cat Murphy or Lily Ogburn about the attitudes of young people toward journalists. The profession hasn't been popular among adults for many years, but a new survey shows the extent to which teens aged 13 to 18 feel the same way; Murphy and Ogburn have seen it for years among their friends who wonder why they want to go into the field. Experts say it's a combination of their surroundings, including the most prominent politician they have known — Donald Trump — who frequ…

Trump administration takes big step toward making it easier to fire 50,000 federal workers (NBC News)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-administration-moves-make-easier-fire-50000-federal-workers-rcna257683
http://www.memeorandum.com/260206/p57#a260206p57

A federal vaccine committee decided on Friday to end the decades-long recommendation that all newborns be immunized at birth against hepatitis B,
a highly infectious virus that leads to chronic liver disease in most infected children.
The vote was a victory for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has sought for decades to overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule.
But the divisiveness and dysfunction of the committee in making the decision raises questions about the r…

C.D.C. Vaccine Committee Ends Recommendation That All Newborns Receive Hepatitis B Shots
In a move toward Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s goal of upending vaccine policy, the committee recommended delaying the shots for infants whose mothers test negative for the virus.

Satya Nadella says the industry needs to move past slop-vs-sophistication arguments and view AI as a cognitive amplifier, not a human substitute (Satya Nadella/sn scratchpad)
https://snscratchpad.com/posts/looking-ahead-2026/

Looking Ahead to 2026
As I reflect on the past year and look toward the one ahead, there’s no question 2026 will be a pivotal year for AI. Yes, another one. But this moment feels different in a few notable ways.

Series C, Episode 09 - Sarcophagus
TARRANT: Don't try and bluff your way with me, Avon. I know what's been needling you right from the start. With Blake gone, you thought you'd got it made, didn't you? Thought you'd got control of this ship and a crew of three who'd say, "Yes, Avon. Whatever you want, Avon." [Cally puts the bookscreen down.] But you reckoned without me. [Cally starts toward the artifact.]
AVON: That wouldn't be too difficult…

Weekly Climate Solutions Digest #21!! 💖🌊✨
https://www.forpeopleandpla.net/weekly-climate-solutions-digest-21/?utm_source=bri-mastodon&utm_medium=social&src=mstdn

Weekly Climate Solutions Digest
Welcome February light has a new confidence. In northern towns, snowdrops spear the soil and maples hold a quiet pressure of sap. South of the equator, cicadas stitch the warm air and late sunsets float like lanterns. It feels like the world is leaning toward growth. That same lift runs

🫦 Researchers pioneer pathway to mechanical intelligence by breaking symmetry in soft composite materials
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-pathway-mechanical-intelligence-symmetry-soft.html

Researchers pioneer pathway to mechanical intelligence by breaking symmetry in soft composite materials
A research team has developed soft composite systems with highly programmable, asymmetric mechanical responses. By integrating "shear-jamming transitions" into compliant polymeric solids, this innovative work enhances key material functionalities essential for engineering mechano-intelligent systems—a major step toward the development of next-generation smart materials and devices.

Muddled.
'Value' has specific meanings in Marxist political economy.
It isn't the appropriate term for what Boillier is discussing.
'Wealth' is closer but still not right.
It's a matter of standpoint: the abundance of nature isn't purely for human use, so those two terms don't apply well, or at all.
Toward a New Theory of Value (and Meaning): Living Systems as Generative - resilience

Toward a New Theory of Value (and Meaning): Living Systems as Generative
The bounty brought by rainfall, fertile soil, and biodiversity cannot truly be expressed through quantitative proxies, prices, algorithms, or markets because this “wealth” doesn’t exist in static, objectified forms or essentialist identities

Russia captures 245 square kilometers in Ukraine in January, with fastest advances toward Sloviansk: https://benborges.xyz/2026/02/03/russia-captures-square-kilometers-in.html

Geno Smith's frustration boils over with obscene gesture toward fed-up Raiders fans https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nfl/geno-smiths-frustration-boils-over-with-obscene-gesture-toward-fedup-raiders-fans

It is always disturbing when MAGA politicians go off halfcocked about socialism.
Here are some of the “radical left” socialist programs that Warner must be complaining about:
Medicare
Medicaid
The Affordable Care Act
Social Security
SNAP (food stamps)
Meals on Wheels and Office of Aging services
Every single one of these programs was once characterized by right-wing politicians as a
“socialist program.”

This MAGA politician's disturbing rant shows a party hellbent on hurting its own
“It is hard to watch other states and cities across our nation leap toward socialism… Let’s keep our state moving forward by always rejecting the falsehoods sold by the radical left.” — Secretary of State Kris Warner, Facebook post, November 5, 2025. Although I should be accustomed to it, it is alw...

My #silentsunday... Do you know that? You're lazy but you also know that you want some physical activity?
The weather wasn't motivating either. But I finally did one of my standard loops. It was indeed silent as there were almost no people out today.
No more than an occasional "hi". Besides that, no talking, nothing but a fox 🦊 in the distance on a field.

Rob Hunt could be big boost for Panthers in playoffs, but has to prove he's ready https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6942905/2026/01/05/panthers-playoffs-rams-injury-update-rob-hunt/

Towards precise synthetic neural codes: high-dimensional stimulation with flexible electrodes #BCI

Towards precise synthetic neural codes: high-dimensional stimulation with flexible electrodes - npj Flexible Electronics
Neural representations arise from high-dimensional population activity, but current neuromodulation methods lack the precision to write information into the central nervous system at this complexity. In this perspective, we propose high-dimensional stimulation as an approach to better approximate natural neural codes for brain-machine interfaces. Key advancements in resolution, coverage, and safety are essential, with flexible microelectrode arrays offering a promising path toward precise synth…

Series D, Episode 09 - Sand
SERVALAN: You think so?
REEVE: Commissioner Sleer? In charge of the pacification program? There's nothing for you on Virn. Unless someone thought I'd be lonely?
https://blake.torpidity.net/m/409/5 B7B4

A flesh-eating fly once eradicated is moving back toward the U.S. #UnitedStates

A flesh-eating fly once eradicated is moving back toward the U.S.
California researchers are preparing for the possible return of the New World screwworm, a parasitic fly that feeds on living flesh and once devastated U.S. livestock. By monitoring traps and educating veterinarians and farmers, they hope to stop the pest before it gains a foothold.

Americans express fear and negativity toward AI, often relying on bad arguments like water usage, a stark contrast with Asia and Europe's relative positivity (Noah Smith/Noahpinion)
https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/i-love-ai-why-doesnt-everyone

I love AI. Why doesn't everyone?
Anti-AI sentiment might or might not be rational, but it certainly relies on a lot of bad arguments.

Raiders Receive Disappointing Arch Manning News https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/las-vegas-raiders/arch-manning-nfl-draft-disappointing-news/?adt_ei=[email]

👣 Investigation shows large support for core ideas of degrowth—but not the label
#degrowth

Investigation shows large support for core ideas of degrowth—but not the label
The first major study into public attitudes toward degrowth—the notion that high-income economies should prioritize well-being over growing production—reveals significant public support for its key ideas across both the UK (74–84%) and US (67–73%).

Johannesburg is showing African cities how climate action gets done.
The city is racing toward net-zero by 2050 with bold moves: diverting 100% of garden waste from landfills by 2040, building micro-grids in informal settlements, and creating jobs while cutting emissions.
Their approach is becoming a model for scalable climate solutions across the continent.

Super Bowl LX expected to see highest ticket price since 2020 https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47820271/tickets-super-bowl-lx-high-cost-seahawks-patriots-nfl

Check Point is raising $1.5B from the sale of a five-year zero-coupon convertible bond; proceeds will go toward buying back as much as $225M of stock (Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-02/check-point-t…

Amid career year, Cowboys' Javonte Williams nearing $500K in bonuses https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/cowboys/2025/12/02/cowboys-javonte-williams-incentive-clauses-career-year/87568668007/…

As the nation staggers toward the 2026 round of midterm elections,
the threats to the integrity of U.S. democracy
— already a veritable hailstorm of partisan contention
— have escalated dramatically under the second Trump administration,
attaining something like hurricane force.
Owing to the fevered narratives proliferating across right-wing media,
many have come to believe that the nation faces a scourge of “illegal” voting and wide-scale fraud.
Bu…

Trump DOJ Sues to Force States to Share Confidential Voter Data
Trump’s Department of Justice is suing over 20 states in a bid to open voter rolls to purges via federal challenges.

As the temperature in New York City dropped toward the single digits
and the death toll during the deep freeze rose to 14,
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the opening of 50 new single-room shelter units for homeless people in Upper Manhattan.
The goal, Mr. Mamdani said in a news release on Saturday night, was
to remove “barriers that keep too many New Yorkers out in the cold.”
In the past week, nearly a foot of snow has blanketed New York City,
and a linger…

Mamdani Announces New Shelter Beds as Death Toll During Cold Rises to 14
The 50 units in Upper Manhattan will house single people who may be reluctant to stay in group shelters.

SpaceX and Tesla are feeling the gravitational pull toward xAI, as Elon Musk looks to use his empire to fund xAI's ravenous appetite for cash and compute (Bloomberg)

Trump leaning toward backing sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia, senior White House official says (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-leaning-toward-backing-sale-f-35s-saudi-arabia-senior-white-house-official-2025-11-17/
http://www.memeorandum.com/251117/p110#a251117p110

Series C, Episode 02 - Powerplay
DAYNA: No, Avon!
KLEGG: Very neat. I don't think I'd like you as a friend, Avon.
AVON: Let's get it over with. [shot]
AVON: Tarrant! I've got them Tarrant! [Tarrant enters and is captured.]
https://blake.torpidity.net/m/302/506

Trevon Diggs headed toward Dallas divorce? Jerry Jones, star CB disagree on health situation amid lost season

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/trevon-<…

Watch the video below with your own eyes.⤵️
Note: DHS had earlier come out claiming, "an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun."
Does DHS mean?
"approached" = came toward with a camera?
"with" = on his person while filming?
https://

Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw.bsky.social)
Watch the video below with your own eyes.⤵️ Note: DHS had earlier come out claiming, "an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun." Does DHS mean? "approached" = came toward with a camera? "with" = on his person while filming? [contains quote post or other embedded content]

QB Smith apologizes for obscene gesture to fans https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47111694/raiders-geno-smith-apologizes-obscene-gesture-fans

🚨SCOOP: Trump leaning toward Warsh for Fed Chair; Hassett officially out. (Rachael Bade/The Inner Circle, with Rachael Bade)
https://rachaelbade.substack.com/p/scoop-hassett-officially-out-trump
http://www.memeorandum.com/260130/p11#a260130p11

Series C, Episode 11 - Moloch
AVON: It will, if the program carries a built-in life-support system: a machine to do the work of the organs.
DAYNA: [Glancing toward Astrid's door] Like his?
https://blake.torpidity.net/m/311/454 B7B3

Filing: Pinterest plans to lay off less than 15% of its workforce by Q3 and cut back on office space, saying it is "reallocating resources" to AI teams (Annie Palmer/CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/27/pinterest-layoffs-stock-ai.html

Pinterest laying off 15% of workforce in push toward AI roles and teams
The company said it's "reallocating resources" to roles and teams focused on artificial intelligence.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told Republican donors last year he had warned Donald Trump that his tariffs and economic policies were steering the GOP toward a midterm election disaster

According to recordings from two meetings with donors obtained by Axios,
Cruz said he told Trump,
“Mr. President, if we get to November” of 2026 “and people’s 401(k)s are down 30 percent and prices are up 10 to 20 percent at the supermarket,
we’re going to go into Election Day, face a bloodbath…

The tale of the Ted Cruz tapes is not one Trump wants to hear
The Texas senator forecast a midterms disaster for the GOP on voter’s economic concerns.

On 4 March, Donald Trump delivered his epic 100-minute speech to Congress, the longest such presidential address in US history.
Having finished speaking, in time-honored fashion, he walked down the line of supreme court justices, gladhanding each in turn before coming to a stop before the chief justice, #John #Roberts

It’s sometimes said that presidents pivot toward foreign policy in their second terms.
Unburdened by the prospect of having to face voters again, and sometimes opposed by a hostile Congress, presidents often go overseas in search of a legacy. 
If the past week or so is anything to go by, Donald Trump is doing the same.
My colleagues Shelby Holliday and Lara Seligman reported exclusively Tuesday that a large number of U.S. troops and special-operations aircraft have deployed…